Automatic safety launching device for life-boats.



0. W. WEILAND.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY LAUNOHING DEVICE FOR LIFE BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1913.

Patentd July 21, 1914;

ran snares PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. WEILAND, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY LAUNCHING DEVICE FOR LIFE-BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Application filed December 5, 1913. Serial No. 804,839.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WV. WEILAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Safety Launching Devices for Life-Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic safety launching devices for life boats.

It is the especial purpose of the inven-.

life boat from being crushed in by the collision; and said wheels or rollers are carried by strong rigid brackets of such form and construction as to distribute the shock of the impact both laterally and fore and aft; said brackets being secured to strong strengthening bands secured on the outside of said life boat from the gunwale to the keel thereof. Thus if the life boat collides with the hull of the ship while being lowered, said life boat rolls unharmed down the hull of the ship in an upright position, and without being capsized by the shock of the collision.

Referring to the drawings which accompany the specification to aid the description, Figure 1 is a. broken elevation showing a life boat equipped with my invention and hanging from a davit in a partly lowered position, the aforesaid wheels being just about to collide with the ships hull; Fig. 2 is an elevation of a life boat equipped with my invention, on a large scale; Fig. 3 is a broken detail view of the said wheel and bracket as Seen from the end of the life boat, and Fig. 4 is a view of the said wheel and bracket as they appear when looking toward the rim of said wheel; Fig. 5 is a broken detail of the yoke which carries 7 said wheel.

ening metal bands 13, one band being located forward and the other aft of the greatest beam of said life boat, and said. bands extend from the gunwale to the keel of said life boat. Adjacent to the curve of the bilge are firmly secured to said bands B, and to the hull of said life boat A, the standards G which carry the wheels H, and which standards are hereinafter collectively termed brackets, there being two similar brackets and wheels on the side of said life boat which is adjacent to the hull of said ship S.

It is an 'important and novel feature of my invention that the brackets C are 10- the life boat, and consequently are at or but slightly abovethe center of gravity of the" boat, and thereby avoid the danger of the capsizing of the boat when the wheels H strike against the hull of the ship, which danger is present in all of the devices known to applicant in the art. Said brackets C comprise the yokes 0 which are securely fastened at'their bottoms to said bands B the longitudinal stay braces e e which hook over theouter ends of said yoke c and are firmly secured at their other ends to the hull of cated adjacent to the curve of the bilge of said life boat (Fig. 4:) ,and the lateral stay.

brace 03, located at its upper part between the hooked end of a stay brace efand' the hub it of the wheel H, so that said stay brace serves also as a washer to prevent undue lateral motion of said wheel H, the outer ends of said brace 03 being firmly secured to the said band B by rivets or bolts, through said band B and the hull of said life boat (Fig. 3). Of course two braces similar to said brace 6 might be employed, but one is usually sufficient. The brackets C are so located on the hull of the life boat, and are so extended outwardly therefrom, that as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer periphery of the. wheel H is about in the same vertical plane as the outer rim of the adjacent gunwale of said life boat, and this arrangement is most important in that it insures that no matter what may be the list of the life boat as respects the hull of the ship, the frame of the life boat can never strike against the hull of the ship so long as the wheels H and the gunwale of the life boat are intact. This is an additional safe-guard against the crushing of the life boat which is not found in any devices in this art known to applicant. Said wheel H is preferably, av solidly constructed spoke-wheel with solidrubber tire a, which acts as a cushion to diminish. the shock of bands 13-13..

It Will, be evident 20111 the foregoing, description, that, as the boatA, which is sus: pendedbytackle from the davits U on the p S in ny i ble a ne s loweredaway, theisaid, heels, Will roll smoothly dovvn the hull of said ship S, keeping the, life ee le pri h w thatt e aid wheels H5 laq t Q i nil Bw l p stee he hull o f saidli fe boatj'Ag from injury, ifsaid e t ll de w th. "th pitc i g. er ll-i New haying despribed ,my, improvements, I claim myinyentio i i i 1. Thecombination with the hull of, a ifeb at ad p d .leun h d' wm a. ship, f a pl ra ty f tt hsthen a baeda end ngt u s ant ally; rbnihe J g riwale t t flkt l a d; ife 9st, ta kets ,fhe iit d on said bands approximately at the, bilge of;

Said, life} eat nd da t d. lqsethe w h i ai ands, l fl st-ributas mk r a e area, o the said 111 1 1; Mid thee imeunted. ih, saidjrbracketsand' adapted t'ofroll on theside Qt a d hipasi -fia l 'l eheat' sra sed e a e? i t atiillt s eeaha 2. The combination with the hull of a life boat adapted to be launched from a ship, of a plurality of. vertical bands, one of said bandsbeingnearer to the bow and the other nearer to the stern of said life boat, Wheels,

adjacent to the curve of the bilge of the said :hull, and so extended outwardly from said hull that the peripheries of said Wheels are approximately in the same vertical plane as is the upper part of the said hull, substantially as' described.

The combination with the hull ofa life boat of vertical strengthening bands, and Wheel brackets mounted thereon and com.- prisinga yoke fastened to said band, a latferal stay brace d and a longitudinal stay brace e, and a Wheel mounted in said bracket and adapted. to rollon the, side ot a. ship, substantially, as described. I t. The combination With the hull of a life gboat adaptedjtobelaunched from acshipof aplurality of bands, extending substantially from the gunvvale to the keel, brackets valeand. above the center of gravity of said lifebo at, and Wheels carried, by said brackets and adapted, to roll down, the sideof the ship, substantially as described.

Signed, at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of. Newflfork, this 4th 1 offDec ember, A. D.l1 9 13. i

OHARLESW-WEILANQ Witnesses:

WM. A. ITIALL, Amen A. Satvnran,

q i s ,og th ia pa tggt may, be qbtatapgtfor five, cents; eanh, byadfit fii g t e mmissionm ofmatenta.

Washington, .0. G35

and brackets therefor mounted on said bands mounted thereon and. located below the. gun 

